On 26 June 2009, Forbes ranked Jon Kortajarena 8th in The World's 10 Most Successful Male Models. In November Kortajarena was named by German GQ as Model of the Year. Spain's Marie Claire awards "Prix de la Moda" awarded him Best Spanish Model for 2009.

As actor he is known for the films A single man (2009), Versus and Hombre 2000 (2014).

His mother is a hairdresser and she often styles his hair. If he was not modeling he would be a full-time actor; however, he notes that interior designing and photography are some fields he has always been curious about. His hobbies include watching films, reading books by Hermann Hesse, sunbathing, going to the mountains with friends, and listening to music.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Mike Pucillo, a three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA Division I Champion at Ohio State, has come out. He is the first openly gay Division-I national champion wrestler.

Pucillo reached for his phone and tapped out a lengthy text message to his best friend and college teammate, Reece Humphrey. The gist of the message was this: I’m gay.

Pucillo and Humphrey had been teammates for four years. They lived together as seniors. When Humphrey got married, he picked Pucillo as a groomsman.

"I think telling him was an unbelievable weight off my shoulders (and) I didn’t think I would feel that good just telling him", said Pucillo. "Reece has always been someone with a very open mind and I thought maybe he would understand", he added.

"Holy shit, buddy!", Humphrey wrote in his response text message. "I’m honestly so happy for you! I had no clue, but all I can say is I love you so much!".

Thursday, March 26, 2015

As BFI Flare, London's LGBT Film Festival, began screening for the capital's viewers this week, we've been staging an ambitious programme to make five of the Festival's films available free for everyone everywhere until 29 March.

For the first time ever the British Council and BFI Flare have made 5 short films available free and online for people around the world, through the BFI Player.

#fiveFilms4freedom is a chance for audiences everywhere to enjoy a taster of LGBT cinema; to find out a little bit more about emerging LGBT filmmakers from around the world; and most importantly, to show support for freedom and equality everywhere.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Russia failed today in a bid to stop the United Nations extending staff benefits to all same-sex couples after a U.N. General Assembly budget committee voted 80 to 43 against the proposal.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in July that the United Nations would recognize all same-sex marriages of its staff, allowing them to receive U.N. benefits.

Previously, staff members' personal status was determined by the laws of their country of nationality. But the United Nations now recognizes all same-sex couples married in a country where it is legal, regardless of their nationality.

Russia's attempt was opposed by the United States and the European Union. Thirty-seven countries abstained from the vote. The United Nations has about 44,000 employees worldwide.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The U.S. Presbyterian Church voted to adopt a new definition of marriage that includes same-sex couples. At 1.8 million, the church is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country.

Having received support from the majority of the church’s 171 presbyteries, the constitution will be altered to to redefine marriage as a union between "two people" instead of "a man and a woman".

The move comes a year after the General Assembly recommended such a change, and after decades of debate on the place of LGBT congregants. In fact, the church decided in 2011 to allow for the ordination of gays and lesbians as pastors, elders and deacons.

Currently, within the United States, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Quakers, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Churches and Reform and Conservative Judaism officially allow for their religious leaders to marry same-sex couples.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

A five year old Irish girl has shown her support for marriage equality in Ireland.

In a video uploaded by her mother on YouTube, five-year-old Ruby Gorry talks about making a sign with the message: “Two boys can get married, two girls can get married: love is love. I think that’s actually fine.”

When questioned by her mother, she goes on to say: "I wonder why people don’t think that?"

And she added: "People just think that a boy and a girl can get married, but two girls can get married and two boys can get married, and smooch… Love is love, and perfect makes perfect!"

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

After the outcry and world leaders boycotted the Sochi opening ceremony, the International Olympic Committee in December added sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy.

For that reason, Japanese lawmakers formed a cross-party group to stamp out anti-gay discrimination in the country by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Hiroshi Hase, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member and leader of the committee, said they wanted to avoid a repeat of the Sochi boycotts over Russia's anti-gay law.

"As it hosts the Olympic Games, there is no doubt that Japanese society will be questioned on how it treats its sexual minorities", he said. "We must substantiate the principles described in the basic plan of the Games", he added.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

As part of its annual Broadway Backwards event benefitting Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, director Robert Bartley transformed Chicago's famed "Cell Block Tango" into an all-male revue so hunky you would never tell them that they were wrong.

Monday, March 16, 2015

After years of strong resistance, organizers of New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade said that gays and lesbians will be allowed to march under their own banner for the first time today March 17th.

This is the largest parade all year in the most Irish City in the World. New York has more people of Irish descent than any other city in the world.

It is not an official Catholic event, but the Church has much to say about it. The Cardinal of New York, Timothy Dolan, is the "unofficial head" the American Catholic Church since New York is the largest Archdiocese in the U.S., and he has welcomed the move.

The decision is another sign of how quickly changing public attitudes toward gay people have pushed changes in state laws, government policies and the practices of private entities.

Dolan’s positive response may also point to a shifting dynamic within the Catholic Church on gays and lesbians since the election of Pope Francis last year.

Pope Francis has made it clear he wants church leaders to highlight Catholicism’s outreach to the poor and vulnerable rather than always fighting culture war issues on gay marriage and the like.

So this is a big deal!

This year gays and lesbians are welcomed
to NY's St. Patrick's Day Parade